Butterball plant in Montgomery to close

MONTGOMERY, Ill. (WLS) -- On Thursday, Butterball announced plans to close their plant in Montgomery in July. The company said the closure is expected to affect 600 employees.

In a statement, Butterball COO Jay Jandrain said:

"Today, we shared with our employees the very difficult decision that, to meet evolving consumer and customer needs and to address changes in market conditions, Butterball will phase out production and close our Montgomery, Ill. plant on or about July 17, 2017. We are committed to retaining as many of our Montgomery employees as possible, and are committed to offering relocation assistance to any of our team members who have an interest in staying with the company and accept an available position at another location. In addition, we will be working diligently with leaders across the enterprise and with other resources in the days and weeks ahead to identify and provide opportunities for outplacement and retraining for those affected, and will be seeking support from local and state economic agencies to find a buyer for the facility with the hope of securing new opportunities for the local economy."

Montgomery officials said that Butterball had made several improvements and expansions after purchasing the former Gusto Packaging facility in 2013.

"Gusto Packing was a long-time, family owned business and when Butterball purchased the plant and made improvements, we anticipated that they would be operating their business here for many years to come. The employees have been very loyal to this facility for a long time, and the sudden closure comes as a shock to them and to us," said Montgomery Village President Matt Brolley in a statement.